A Case Of Mistaken Identity
by Liris
Summary: Foaly has a secret that's warping his view of Holly. When strange things start happening, and a link to the captin emerges, he must choose what to believe. H/A. Sequel to 'Double Trouble'. On Hiatus
1. Foaly's view of things

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Artemis Fowl. The genius behind that is Eoin Colfer, and as I am neither male nor Irish, that is definitely not me.

Read Double Trouble before this, otherwise very little will make sense. The footage referred to in this Chapter is the camera footage that Opal mails to him in Chapter 7 of Double Trouble.

* * *

Foaly's View of Things

Foaly typed the last few keystrokes into the computer, then leaned away from the counter, content. On the other end of the computer wires, Koboi's eyes flickered behind her closed lids as her memory of the last three months was wiped. She would no longer recall escaping from the past, possessing Angeline Fowl, being blown up by a kraken, kidnapping Holly Short and Artemis Fowl, being blown up by an altered bio-bomb (Foaly had to admit, that Fowl was a genius, for a Mud Man) or shooting Holly. Number One would arrive at Police Plaza within the hour to send her home, and they could finally close the book on Opal Koboi.

Foaly trotted over to the Ops booth, yawning. It had been a long day, made longer by Holly's brush with death. Then again, mused the centaur, it's not like she hasn't nearly died before. Or _actually_ died before. She'd told him about Hybras, about how she and Artemis had rescued the demons (with a little help from Number one and Qwan), and about how Artemis had saved her life. He'd noticed the tender tone with which she'd talked about the boy, and he was worried about her. She was a little too fond of Fowl. Not that he thought she'd actually do anything with the human, but that footage was worrying him.

_Relax, Centaur _he told himself sternly_. You're not her father, and Holly can take care of herself._

He chuckled at the memory of her punching the Mud Boy square in his smug face after he'd kidnapped her. That had been their first fight, but by no means was it their last. The two quarrelled like an old married gnome couple.

_Talking of old married couples… _He thought, lifting his tinfoil hat from the bench and stroking it fondly. Caballine had finally broken him of (some of) his paranoia, and he was no longer wearing it. He liked to keep it close by, though, to remind himself of the consequences of getting lax.

He grabbed his jacket from where it was hanging on the back of the door and headed for home, where he was sure his wife would have some sort of food waiting. Caballine wasn't exactly what you'd call domestic, but boy, could she cook a good stew. He was at the outside door when he heard Commander Kelp bellowing his name. He sighed, cast one last, longing glance at freedom, and turned back to the Ops Booth. Trouble was still wearing his LEP uniform, though it was highly creased, covered in dirt and dust, torn in places, and had a patch of dried blood close to the waist from where Holly had been shot.

"Where is Hol… Captain Short? She should have been back an hour ago." the elf demanded. Foaly sighed and trooped back into the booth.

"I'm sure she's OK, she's probably just caught up in traffic. And I thought you gave her the week off?"

"I tried." he grumbled. Holly was a workaholic, and disliked having too much free time. But, D'Arvit, what was it going to take to get the girl to take some leave? She'd been shot - she'd died - but she was still determined to come into the office the next day, as though nothing had happened.

The commander pulled himself back to the present and watched as Foaly pulled up a tracker screen. The centaur isolated the signal from Holly's helmet, then frowned and rapped the side of the screen. He was careful not to touch the screen itself, it got very hot.

"Odd." he muttered.

"What?"

"Well, according to these readings, Holly's still at Fowl Manor. Or, her helmet is, at least."

Trouble ground his teeth together.

"It's almost dawn topside! What's she playing at?"

"Maybe she couldn't make it back in time? It would make sense for her to stay at the Manor, if she couldn't leave without being caught in the sun."

His mouth provided this possibility, without his brain actually believing it. Holly would have had plenty of time, her wings were faster than human cars…

He almost groaned aloud, but held it in. She'd ridden with the humans, in the car. If the commander figured this out, he'd suspend her for sure - no officer was to remain above ground if it could be helped - and that last thing Holly needed at the moment was more career problems. Thankfully, the commander seemed to accept the proposed excuse, and left the office, grunting a 'goodnight' in Foaly's general direction.

The centaur waited until he was sure Trouble wasn't coming back, then activated Holly's helmet camera. He had a lovely view of Artemis Fowl's stomach; Holly must have the helmet under her arm. The centaur relaxed. She was alright, and by the looks of it was preparing to leave. He reached out to terminate the contact, when Holly suddenly dropped the helmet. It rolled and landed upside down, coming to rest just in time for Foaly to se Artemis lean down and kiss Holly on the lips. The elf stiffened for a second, and Foaly thought she was going to push him away, to tell him that he was being an idiot, but she pulled the Mud Boy closer and kissed him back. Despite the fact that neither of them had a drop of magic, a blue glow started up around them, throwing shadows on the walls. The two finally pulled apart, and smiled at each other.

"I love you Holly."

Foaly's jaw dropped. The human loved her! And what's more, Artemis Fowl was being open with his emotions! He wasn't sure what surprised him more.

He tensed for the words that he hoped wouldn't come, that he was sure he was just anticipating because he was being paranoid. After all, she'd only kissed him…

"Love you." came her almost inaudible reply, and Foaly hurriedly closed the communication.

"Holly." he muttered, horror-struck. "What have you done?"


	2. Forbidden Fruit

I'm still not Eoin Colfer, so I don't own anything here except the plot. (Hah! Plot!)

Artemis's parents and siblings have been away visiting Juliet - I mentioned it briefly in Double Trouble, but it never hurts to recap.

* * *

Forbidden Fruit

Holly suddenly came to her senses and pulled away from Artemis. She'd kissed him! Again! And she'd told him…

She staggered to the swivel chair and sank into it. If this got out, her career was over.

Artemis, looking highly confused, knelt in front of her. He was about at eye level with her, but she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Holly? What's wrong?"

For once, he didn't have a clue what was going on. Give him physics or maths, and he was fine, but women…

Holly sighed and looked him on the eye.

"Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow at her. He didn't believe her. She waved one hand in the air, trying to explain.

"It's just, well, I'm… and you're…"

She sighed again and dropped her hand. Artemis thought he understood.

"It's because you're an elf and I'm human?"

She nodded almost imperceptibly.

"It's not just the species difference. Fairy/human relationships are forbidden."

Artemis rocked back on his heels. Relationship? Was that what they had? Well, alright, a working relationship, and a friendship, but could they actually have more than that?

He'd just admitted how he felt (he still couldn't quite process the fact that he'd verbalised his feelings - what was wrong with him?), and she'd reciprocated.

Artemis felt a fierce joy - _Holly loved him_. After all their adventures, and despite of all that they'd gone through (or maybe because of it), she felt for him the same way he did for her. What did their differences matter when they loved each other?

Then he realised what she'd said. Forbidden. Holly could get into serious trouble if anyone below ground saw them together, or heard what they'd just said.

"I could lose my job for this." she muttered. Artemis got the impression that he wasn't supposed to have heard that, but he replied anyway.

"You've risked your job before."

"Yeah, for the good of the People. It's like Julius said, it's what's best for the People that matters."

Artemis risked laying a hand on hers where they rested in her lap.

"Maybe you should think of yourself for a moment. What's best for you?"

Holly looked at him oddly. Artemis was never this open with his emotions, or this tender. What was up with him?

Artemis, of course, was reeling. Firstly, from the revelation that Holly loved him, secondly from the realisation that now he might lose her. If she went back below ground now, in this state, she might realise that she was better off without him, and he didn't want that. He wanted her to stay.

Holly gave up on trying to figure Artemis out, and glanced up at the study window. Her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet.

"D'Arvit! It's too light, I can't go back now."

Artemis hauled himself to his feet.

"What's the problem? You can just stay here today. It's not like we're crowded, exactly."

She turned to him, considering the chances of Trouble skinning her alive if he found out that she'd stayed at Fowl Manor. Pretty high, she reckoned, but she saw little alternative. She nodded slowly.

"Alright, Arty. I'll stay."

Artemis didn't hear her. She rising sun reflected off her auburn hair, making it shine. He realised that she was waiting for him to say something, and hurriedly closed his mouth.

"What, sorry?"

Holly tried not to smirk. For some reason, it didn't annoy her as much when Arty stared at her as when, say, Chix Verbil did so. Then again, Chix would flirt with anything if it stood still long enough, so perhaps that had something to do with it. Or perhaps she just really did love Arty.

"I said, I'll stay. Is there somewhere I can sleep? And shower?"

He led her to the next floor up, to a room painted a pale green.

"It's the only guest room with it's own en-suite. Is this alright?"

She laid her wings and helmet on the bed and smiled at him.

"It's perfect. Thanks, Arty."

"No problem. Err, if you need me, my room is next door."

He'd actually said _err_. When Artemis started saying things that weren't actual words, you knew for sure that he was nervous. It had just struck him that there would be only one wall between him and Holly, that he was having a girl to stay at the Manor. Well, it should make his mother happy - she was always going on at him to 'find a nice girl and have some fun'.

Artemis realised that he was lingering in the doorway, and stepped out into the hall.

"Goodnight, Holly."

"Day, actually, but never mind. Goodnight, Arty."

He shut the door and walked into his own room. He sank onto the bed, shaking slightly. He, Artemis Fowl, was acting irrationally. He was losing his train of thought in the middle of conversations, talking in colloquialisms, and staring. He shook himself mentally. Maybe some sleep would help him get his head back in order.

* * *

Holly undressed and took a warm shower, feeling the sweat and blood accumulated over the last few days trickling off her body. She slicked her hair back off her face, contemplating whether to get it cut or not. _Arty likes it_. Maybe she'd leave it.

She got out of the shower, redressed, and examined her newest scar in the mirror. It was pink, shiny, and star-shaped, but with too many points. She pulled her top down in an attempt to cover it, and climbed onto the bed. It was huge, being both human and king-size. However it was comfortable, and soon she felt sleep's soft tendrils reaching for her. She relaxed, and allowed herself to be washed away on a tide of lethargy. He last waking thought was of Artemis's lips on hers, and she smiled.

* * *

Artemis had been asleep for about two hours when he felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. He groaned, but opened his eyes. Butler was standing over him.

"Your parents are home."

The full impact of that sentence took several seconds to penetrate his sleep-addled brain. When it did, he sat bolt upright, wide awake.

"But they weren't supposed to be back for another three days!"

"They cut the holiday short. Apparently, Beckett was getting too aggressive - you know how he picks up bad habits."

Artemis scrambled off the bed and to the door.

"Stall them, Butler. Holly's in the next room, and we can't let my parents find her here."

He left the room without waiting for Butler's answer. He knocked gently on Holly's door and went straight in, closing it behind him. Holly was fast asleep in the middle of the bed, curled on one side. Her scar was clearly visible, and again Artemis saw her lying on the rubble of Koboi Labs, bleeding to death. He blinked to dispel the image, and sat on the edge of the bed. She moaned and shifted, but didn't wake. He laid a hand on her shoulder and shook it gently.

"Holly? You have to wake up."

She woke up enough to shake free of his hand and roll over, then slipped back into sleep again. Artemis sighed and leaned over her. Holly evidently wasn't a morning person.

He pushed a hunk of hair away from her face, and whispered into her ear.

"My parents are back, Holly. You have to wake up now, because if they find you here we're going to have a lot of explaining to do."

She rolled onto her back, groaning, and opened one eye.

"Your parents?"

He nodded.

"D'Arvit."

"My sentiments exactly. Now, hide. I'll keep them downstairs. As soon as it's dark, you can sneak out the back."

Holly nodded and sat up.

"Gods, I haven't done this in a decade."

Artemis looked at her, and she winked at him.

"It'll be fine. I'll stay up here, and they'll be down there. I've done this before Arty. Worst case scenario - they walk in here and I have to hide under the bed."

Artemis nodded, then leaned down and kissed her gently.

"Good morning, by the way."

He turned around and froze. They weren't alone.

* * *

Who's there with them? Review, and tell me what you think! Virtual cookies to anyone who guesses correctly!


	3. Awkward Introductions

Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed - and a box of cookies for Nexlei, who guessed correctly. A few people thought it was Foaly - which would work, I suppose, but not the way I'm headed. Sorry!

I thought Arty and Holly might be a little OOC last chap, but so far no one said anything, so maybe I wrote it better than I thought. Oh, and Angeline and Artemis senior may be a little OOC in this chapter, but I can't get all of them spot on.

Anyway, this is based about a month after TTP (guess I should have said that earlier), and Arty has told his mother everything about his adventures with the fairies. Well, I say everything…

Disclaimer: I'm not male, Irish or in my thirties, so I don't own anything you see here, character-wise.

Btw, If anyone has a better idea for either story or chapter names, let me know?

* * *

Awkward Introductions

Artemis stopped dead, staring in disbelief at the figure in the doorway.

"M...mother." he stammered. Holly froze underneath him. Uh-oh. This was bad.

"Arty."

She breezed into the room, halting slightly when she saw who he was on the bed with.

_At least they're both fully clothed._

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?"

Girlfriend? Was that what Holly was?

Holly waited for Artemis to move, then got impatient of him leaning over her and pushed him aside. The fall to the floor jerked him out of his reverie.

"Hi, Mrs Fowl. I'm…"

"Holly, yes? Artemis has told me all about you!"

Angeline hugged the fairy hard as she vaulted off the bed, and Holly shot Artemis a glare through the gap in his mothers arms. Told Angeline all about her, had he?

Artemis hauled himself up from the floor just in time to catch the tail end of Holly's gaze. He winced and looked away.

Angeline released Holly, and held her at arms length, looking her up and down. She smiled, and the effect was dazzling. Her whole face lit up.

"Arty was right. You are pretty."

Holly shot Artemis another look, but this was one of shock. He thought she was pretty? Artemis avoided eye contact with the elf, instead attempting to shoo his mother out of the room. He hoped his face wasn't as heated as it felt.

"Mother, you should really leave. Won't father get suspicious? We can't let him know about Holly, can we?"

Angeline ripped her gaze away from Holly, and nodded.

"You're right, as usual. I'll stall him for a few minutes, but then I want a chance to talk to your charming young friend."

She left, shutting the door behind her. Artemis risked a glance at Holly, who was trying to decide whether to shout at him or hug him. She compromised, sitting on the end of the bed and glaring at him.

"Explain, Artemis. Now."

* * *

Angeline almost skipped down the stairs, happy that she'd finally met Arty's new love interest. Well, ok, only love interest.

Holly looked almost exactly as he'd described her, only with longer hair. She thought of the way her son had looked when talking about the captain, and refrained from grinning. She'd known how he felt about the captain long before he himself had.

Artemis Fowl was kneeling on the floor, attempting to hold Beckett off him with one hand while holding Myles closer with the other.

"I wanna go kitchen! My jar of mould is in there!" moaned Myles.

"And then Juliet did this…" Beckett commented, attempting the wrestling hold on his father and making him overbalance. The three went down in a heap. Artemis looked at his wife beseechingly. She giggled and helped haul him and the twins to their feet.

"Myles, your jar is upstairs, I moved it before we left. Beckett, stop doing that, you'll break something."

Both twins stopped moving. Beckett released his hold on his father's leg, pouting.

"If you go into the kitchen, I'm sure Butler can find you something sweet to eat. Go on, boys, run along."

The three year olds took off into the kitchen in pursuit of chocolate, leaving Artemis Fowl feeling as though he'd been run over by a steamroller.

"Thank you, Angie."

She kissed his cheek, and pushed him gently in the direction of the kitchen.

"It's not over yet, Timmy. Go and grab those two and take them out into the garden, I'll grab some food and we can have a picnic by the pond."

"But what about the bags?"

"Butler can take care of them."

"Ok, Angie. I'll just go and fetch Arty…"

"No! I already went to check on him, and he's, err, asleep. You know him, works too much. I've tried to tell him to relax, have some fun…"

Artemis frowned at her. She was babbling.

"What's going on? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing, Timmy! But we shouldn't disturb Arty, lets leave him to it."

"It? What's going on, has he got a girl here?"

Angeline blushed, answering her husbands question unintentionally. He grinned.

"Alright, lets leave him to it. It's about time he started acting like an eighteen year old."

He slung an arm around his wife's shoulders and led her off towards the kitchen, laughing gently at the thought of his son with a member of the opposite sex. Did the poor girl know what she was letting herself in for?

* * *

Holly was still glaring at Artemis. He'd told her the full story, and was now waiting for the tirade that he knew would accompany this.

"You just told her about us? About the People, about all our adventures?"

"About you saving my life." he interceded, hoping to win some brownie points. It didn't work.

"Which I wouldn't have had to do if you hadn't endangered it in the first place!"

"Holly, I'm hurt. Hardly any of those times was actually my own fault. In the Spiro needle, I grant you, but other than that…"

Holly groaned and massaged her temples.

"Artemis, you do realise that she'd going to have to be mind wiped? We can't let humans know about us!"

"I know about you." he pointed out. She sighed.

"You're different. You've saved our entire population a few times, you're a friend of the People. Your mother, she…" Holly paused for a few seconds, trying to think of a way to end.

"The Council won't let her keep these memories." she finished, aware that she'd left the sentence hanging. What was she supposed to say? Your mother isn't a friend to the people? She's not someone we trust? It may be the truth, but there was no need to say it aloud. Artemis would know what she was thinking anyway, he always did.

Artemis sat down next to Holly and held her hand gently in his. He wasn't particularly comfortable doing it, but he thought it might make her more open to his idea.

"Do you have to tell the Council about this? If they don't know, then it's not an issue, is it?"

His eyes pleaded with her to go along, but she shook her head reluctantly.

"I'm already going to be in enough trouble as it is. I stayed the day aboveground, in a human dwelling. Not allowed, in case you were wondering. Then there's the issue of… us. If Trouble finds out, he'll boot me off the force for sure. If I add this on top, and Trouble finds out some other way…"

Artemis understood what she was saying. If Trouble found out about any of that, she may as well resign right now.

"Please? Couldn't you just plead ignorance?"

"I don't like lying to my bosses, Artemis. I especially don't want to lie to Trouble. We've been close friends for nearly sixty years, he knows when I'm being…less than truthful."

Artemis wondered when she'd lied to him before, and what about.

"Please, Holly? Just but me a little time? She wants to talk to you, to see who the person is who's saved my life so many times, not to mention her own and Fathers."

Holly flushed a little in spite of herself.

"I can't do anything until I get belowground anyway. If I tell Trouble when I get back, assuming that he doesn't fire me, there won't be a team here until tomorrow night, at the earliest. Is that enough time for you?"

She was trying not to think why he wanted the time, or what he planned on doing with it. The less she actually knew, the less she would have to tell Trouble.

"That will do fine. Thank you, Holly."

She nodded again, then sighed and stood.

"Well, if your mother wants to talk to me, she'd probably better do it whilst I'm stuck here."

Artemis eyed Holly as she stretched.

"Aren't you a little…nervous?"

Holy shrugged.

"She seems like a nice person. And she wont remember it anyway, so…" she trailed off and shrugged again.

"Besides, it can't go any worse than the last time I did this."

Artemis examined his fingers as he asked the next question, not at all certain that he wanted to hear the answer. After all, Holly was over eighty.

"Do you do this sort of thing often?"

Holly smiled at him gently.

"Not any more. When I was a teenager, I used to fool around with Trouble quite a lot, but we grew up and decided we were just friends. Aside from him, I've done this once. And that didn't end too well."

Artemis decided not to comment, but he wasn't nearly as sure as Holly that Trouble had gotten over her.

"Define 'not too well'."

"His mother threw me out of the house and told me that if I ever went anywhere near her son again, she'd hex me. This was after she threw a plate at me."

Artemis was staring at her, eyes wide.

"What did you do to get that reaction from her?"

The door opened then, saving Holly from having to answer.

* * *

Angeline laughed as her sons tried to catch the Koi carp in the pond. The fish were too agile for the toddlers, but this didn't stop Beckett trying to climb in after them. Artemis grabbed him around the middle and pulled him back, prompting Beckett to splash water at his fathers face. Myles decided that, as he was already wet, he may as well join in the water fight, and chaos ensued. It finished with Angeline standing a good ten metres away from her sopping wet children and husband.

"Go and get out of those wet things." she laughed at them. The tree trooped up to the twins room, and Angeline utilised the moment to sneak back to Holly's room. She opened the door to see her son gazing at the elf in disbelief, and Holly looking embarrassed. She decided not to mention either expression, and extended a hand towards the elfin captain, shutting the door behind her with her other hand.

"We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Angeline Fowl, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Holly."

"Likewise." said the elf, shaking the offered hand warmly.

_May as well do the thing properly _she reasoned.

"Arty has told me lots about you."

"Oh, no. You don't want to listen to anything he says…"

Artemis opened his mouth to proclaim (indignantly) that he hadn't lied to his mother, and Holly _knew_ that, when he realised that she was being modest. She didn't want the life-saving to come up in conversation.

"Nonsense." said Angeline. "It's all very good. Thank you, by the way, for taking such good care of my little Arty over these past few years. Thank you for everything you've done for my family."

Artemis flushed and walked to the opposite end of the room. If the conversation was starting with 'my little Arty', he dreaded to think what it would finish like.

Holly smiled self-consciously.

"Don't worry about it."

The two women walked over to the bed and perched on the end, talking about time travel and dimension jumping.

"What's it like to fly?" Angeline asked, somewhat eagerly. She had always wished that she could fly. Holly smiled, mind away in the clouds, soaring over the ocean.

"Its…amazing. There are no limits or restraints. It's an adrenaline-rush and it's calming, all at the same time. There's nothing to compare it to, it's like nothing else in the world."

As Artemis listened to the conversation, his sense of anxiety vanished. How could his mother not like Holly? The two were talking like they'd known each other all their lives.

"So, how long have you actually known Arty? He talks about you like he's known you forever."

"Didn't he tell you how we met?"

Angeline shook her head, and Holly shot the boy a look. He pleaded with his eyes to Holly, begging her not to tell his mother how they'd actually met. He'd changed since then, and he didn't want to see the disappointment in his mother's eyes when (if) she found out about the abduction. Plus, it was a pathetic basis for a relationship.

Holly caught the look, and guessed the meaning behind it. She sighed and turned back around, debating whether to tell the truth, or a variation thereof, also known as a lie.

"It was about…six years ago." she paused, working out the time difference in her head. Yeah, about six years.

"It was midnight, and I was aboveground on police business. We met under an oak tree."

She stopped there, allowing Angeline to form whatever romantic scenario she wished. Boy, did Artemis ever owe her.

Angeline grinned at her son, who smiled back weakly.

'Thank you' he mouthed at Holly. She nodded back.

"Angeline?" came the voice of Artemis Fowl senior, searching the house for his wife. She stood and hugged Holly and then her son.

"I _love_ her!" she whispered. If Holly had been human, she won't have been able to hear the comment, but fairy ears are better than human. She blushed and turned away, pretending not to hear the next comment.

"Keep hold of her, Arty."

With that parting comment, she released her son and set about the task of distracting her husband and youngest children from realising that Artemis was in a bedroom with his non-human girlfriend.

A full minute passed before Artemis dared look at Holly. She was standing at the window, smiling to herself. He walked over to her, looking out at the sunset whilst speaking.

"Well, that seemed to go alright. At least she didn't throw anything at you."

Holly smiled and turned to face him.

"It went well. I like your mother, she's a decent person. So, if you ever make me lie to her again, I'm going to kick your sorry butt."

Artemis grimaced. Holly wasn't joking, and she wouldn't have to try very hard, either. He turned his head to look at her, but she was gazing back out at the red glow the sun was casting on the clouds.

"I'd better head off soon. It's getting dark enough for me to leave, and there's enough cloud cover that it doesn't matter that I can't shield."

Artemis nodded. She had to get back below ground, he knew that. Didn't mean he had to like it though.

Holly pulled on her wings and picked up her helmet.

"When will you came back up?" Artemis blurted out. She smiled and moved closer to him.

"When I can. I need to sort a few things out, and I don't suppose Trouble will let me out of Police Plaza for a few months, but I'll come up when I can."

She reached up and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Don't worry, Arty, I won't forget you."

She tugged at the communicator on his hand.

"Keep in touch."

With that, she fired up the wings and flew out of the bedroom window. Artemis watched her until she flew into the clouds, then he lost sight of her. He touched his cheek where she had kissed him, then shook himself and left the room to find his family. Time to do some damage control, before his mother could assume that he and Holly were anything more serious than they actually were. He didn't think he could stand the teasing.

* * *

Ok, so the ending is lame. I'm sorry, but if anyone has any better ideas, let me know. There will be some action in this fic, I promise. I'll write some in next chapter. Until then, please review (it makes me write faster), and thanks for reading!

The next chapter may be a while coming, because I have Maths A2 level exams coming up, plus biology coursework. But I will write more soon, I promise!

Also, I know the day passes kind of quickly, and I'm sorry for that. If I say that it's winter, so the daylight only lasts about seven hours (I live in England, and trust me, some days feel like that), does that about cover it? If not, then I'm sorry. But, hey, it doesn't all have to make sense all the time though, right?


	4. A Hero's Welcome

Only one review last chapter *pouts*. Thanks to wawaboy2 for the review, much appreciated!

I know, they're a little OOC, but I'm working on it. Hopefully, this chapter will be better. Also, in response to wawaboy2's review, I don't know if it's just me, but I think Angeline and Holly have a lot in common. They're both very loyal, willing to forgive Artemis (you pick which one) for virtually anything, both emotional and loving, both decent people. I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't get along. Is it just me reading into things that aren't there, or are there actually similarities between the characters? Please, tell me if I'm going insane.

Wow, long author note. Sorry about that. On with the story.

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything except the plot (which is still under construction. Ideas appreciated!).

* * *

A Hero's Welcome

Holly got back below ground at around seven pm, Irish time. She had barely stepped out of the shuttle when she was surrounded by paparazzi, shoving microphones in her face and snapping shots of her on their cameras. She raised a hand to protect her eyes from the flash, and squinted through the crowd. It was about ten fairies deep. Could she elbow her way through without comment, or not?

"Holly, where have you been? On another Recon mission?"

"Holly, what do you think about Opal Koboi's mind wipe?"

"How do you feel about her attempt on your and Artemis Fowl's lives?"

Holly frowned at the sprite who asked the last question. How did he think she felt? She opened her mouth to shout but, luckily for her good reputation, the press were interrupted by a very familiar and welcome voice.

"That's Captain Short to you people, and she's had a very hard last few days. So, you will please allow her to pass. She needs to give her report and you fairies aren't helping any. Move, now!"

Trouble Kelp appeared from the masses, and Holly couldn't help the grin that spread on her face. He slung and arm around her shoulders, and towed her through the reporters and into the safety of an LEP shuttle.

"Thank you for that, Commander. I really hate the press sometimes."

"Where have you been, Captain? You were sent topside twenty-seven hours ago, and in that time you haven't so much as reported in once. What happened?"

Holly blinked. She'd never heard Trouble sound so serious.

"By the time I got to Fowl Manor, it was light. I have no magic in me, sir, so I couldn't shield. I thought it would be best for the People if I stayed where I was, so I wasn't caught on satellite or something. I got back belowground as soon as possible."

"Where did you stay? At the Manor?"

"Yes sir. Artemis is a friend, and he offered to put me up for the day. I accepted."

"Is that it? Is there anything you're not telling me?"

Holly thought about Angeline's knowledge of their race, and sighed.

"There is something else…"

Trouble heard the reluctance in her tone as she told him about the circumstances that had led to Angeline knowing of their existence, and was tempted to bellow himself hoarse at her. She'd emotionally bonded to yet another human! As if Fowl wasn't enough!

He swallowed his rage and breathed deeply, trying to calm down. It was worry for Holly, translating itself into anger as a release mechanism. He could control himself.

When he felt that he could speak without yelling, he lifted his gaze and looked Holly in the eye. She was looking carefully neutral, hoping that she wasn't about to be fired. Not that P.I. work wasn't fun, but…

Trouble felt his heart melt. He'd often seen officers looking like that at Root, but he'd hoped never to see anyone look at him like that. Especially not Holly.

He reached over and held her hand.

"It's alright, I guess. I mean, it's contained. I can get a team to go up and perform a mind wipe. I'll talk to Foaly when we get back to Police Plaza."

Holly nodded, relief written in her eyes, if not on her features.

"Thank you, Commander."

He smiled at her gently.

"I may be your boss, Holly, but that doesn't mean I'm not still your friend. When we're not on duty, call me Trouble."

"We are on duty."

"I am, Holly. You're on leave for the next week. Go and finish your grocery shopping or whatever it was you were doing when those sprites started shooting up the place."

Holly remembered the event. She'd been shot in the leg. This was before she'd been abducted by Opal, and the events of the last three days had unfolded. Was that all it had been? Three days? It felt like much longer.

"But, Trouble…"

He held his hand up to stop her.

"No 'buts', Holly. You're on leave. Paid leave, by the way. You haven't taken any in about three years. You need the time off, so take it. You were _shot_ yesterday, H. Take some time to recover, huh?"

H. He hadn't called her that since they'd dated, almost forty years ago. It had always been either Holls or Holly. It was the nickname, more than an actual desire to have a holiday, that made her nod and agree to stay at home for a week. At least she could catch up on her TV viewing. Even if there were only repeats on, she hadn't actually seen anything besides news clips for about a year.

She wondered if they were still playing that mudman show, _Smallville_. It was a load of nonsense, and no humans were ever that accommodating towards those different to them, but it was entertaining.

* * *

The shuttle stopped at Police Plaza, and Holly jumped out and walked over to the Ops Booth. Foaly hadn't been there when she'd swiped the wings the day before, so she hadn't seen him in a good week or so. She gave the wings to one of the techies, and rapped on the Booth door. Ever since Opal had hijacked his system four years ago, he'd tightened security until it was hard for _him _to gain access to the booth. It was nigh impossible for anyone else. Holly thought Artemis could probably manage it, but she wasn't about to tell Foaly that. Caballine may have broken him of some of his paranoia, but professional envy was something else entirely. If she even hinted that Artemis was smarter than he was, he'd take it as a challenge and up security even more.

Foaly saw Holly knocking at the door, and froze. What should he say to her? Should he let her know he'd seen her and Artemis, or should he pretend like nothing had happened? Maybe that was why she was here, or maybe it was something else entirely. What should he do?

He shook himself. He was over thinking things. This was Holly, for Fronds sake. She was the same elf who strode around, holding her own against the males in the offices without even trying. The same elf who gave him a crate of carrots for his and Caballine's anniversary, even though she'd not been present at the ceremony, or even been informed of the date of the anniversary. The same Holly who'd been his friend for years. It wasn't as if she'd changed. So what if she had fallen for a mud man…

Holly knocked again, and he pushed the button to unlock the doors. He decided not to bring up what he'd seen unless she mentioned it.

Holly walked in and grinned at Foaly.

"Hey, centaur. How're things?"

His eye was caught by the scar on her stomach. She saw where he was looking and pulled at her top self-consciously.

"I need to get a longer t-shirt to keep in my locker." she mumbled. Foaly relaxed and pulled her into a hug. Yep, the same Holly.

"How come you're here?" he asked when they broke apart. She frowned at his tone.

"Why? Am I not welcome?" she said, only half in jest. She wasn't used to Foaly being serious. Sarcastic and irritating, yes. Sombre, no.

"Of course! Caballine actually keeps on at me to invite you round for dinner. I just thought that, what with all your time off, you'd be doing something more interesting."

Holly shook her head.

"I only just got back underground. Thought I'd come and see my favourite LEP consultant. How's Caballine?"

"She's good. Been missing her spa buddy for the last few weekends."

"I'll make reservations. I might as well do _something _with this time off."

Trouble stuck his head around the door and half-shouted in Foaly's general direction.

"Foaly! I need a team of techies with a full mind wipe kit ready to go, ASAP. We've got a to make Angeline Fowl forget all about us. Holly, what are you still doing here?"

"Oh, I was just leaving…"

"Well, go. Relax, take a week to heal, then come back. And don't worry about the press, I've taken care of them."

He switched his attention back to Foaly.

"Now, centaur! I want Mrs Fowl wiped by this time tomorrow! Move it!"

Foaly sighed as Trouble withdrew. He was, as ever, left to organise an entire mind wipe alone. Trouble didn't appreciate how hard that really was. No Commander ever did.

Holly sighed and headed for the door.

"I guess I'd better go. See you soon Foaly."

_Last chance _Foaly thought. _Just bite the bullet and ask_.

"Holly." he blurted. She stopped and turned to look at him. He swallowed, than lost his nerve. It had been a private moment, after all.

"Here, take this."

He threw her a glass phial filled with earth. It was as sealed acorn unit, like she'd used in the Arctic to reattach her finger. She caught it easily and tucked it into her trouser pocket.

"Thanks, Foaly."

"No problem, Holls."

He hesitated, then added "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I'm here for you."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is this some ploy to get more carrots out of me?"

He sighed. She didn't want to talk about it. Fine.

"No, Holls. Just take care of yourself."

Holly sighed wearily.

"If this is about me getting shot, then I'm fine."

"Right. Good to know."

She turned to go, and he called after her.

"You know, I've recently patented a fully bullet-proof suit to wear aboveground. I could lend it to you, if you want? You could test-pilot it for me?"

Grinning, she waved over her shoulder and closed the door behind her. Foaly sighed. She was an adult, she could make her own decisions.

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Holly."

With that, he turned to his computers and began composing a list of the equipment he'd need to mind wipe yet another member of the Fowl family.

* * *

The Dynasty store was the most stylish jewellery store under the earth. It sold to the rich and famous, and to a few wannabes. The jewels were expensive, but they were worth it. Or, at least, that was Skylar Peat's opinion. The multiple award winning actress bought exclusively from Dynasty, something they didn't hesitate to announce. It brought in even more customers.

Elim Quartz, the elfin owner of Dynasty, was locking up the store. It was midnight, much later than he'd normally work, but Ms Peat had ordered a new item of jewellery, and he wanted to make sure that it was perfect. He turned the key in the lock, turned around and came face to face with a female elf. He jumped backwards, clutching at his heart.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, miss."

The elf smiled cruelly. That was the last thing Elim saw before coming to in hospital the next morning, to find out that his store had been broken into and the new necklace for Ms Peat had been stolen. In between sobs, he told the LEP officers that his attacker had been female, young, had short hair and dark eyes. They looked at each other. Elim was in the prime of his life, and had martial arts training. It was doubtful that any girl would be able to take him down. She'd have to be really skilled, maybe a martial arts trainer, or a police officer…

* * *

Ok, another cliffy. Sorry, but I just love being evil sometimes. I'll update soon, sooner if I get more reviews! (hint hint). And yes, I'm a Smallville nut. Sorry about that, but I've got to project a little of myself into the story.

Oh, and I didn't say at the start, but Elim belongs to me. He won't be in any more of the story (I don't think he will, anyway), but I thought I'd name him anyway. Elim means 'oak tree', just thought I'd let you know. Or, at least it does according to my source. I don't own Skylar Peat, who is named in TOD.

Let me know what you think, you know you want to review! Love you all, and if anyone can guess who really robbed the store, then you're either a genius or looking over my shoulder, because I haven't written about them yet. Yes, an OC, but I'll try to make them believable, and not ruin the story. Love you all!


	5. Suspicion

Sorry it's taken so long, but the next chapter is finally here! Yay!

Thanks to everyone who waited so patiently, and I'll try not to keep you hanging again. Sorry.

Oh, and I own nothing.

* * *

Suspicion

Holly was woken by a rapping on her front door. She looked blearily at the clock. She'd been asleep for all of three hours. She groaned, rolled over and pulled the covers over her head. The person at the door knocked again, most insistently. She threw the duvet off her and stood, groaning.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming."

She opened the door as far as the chain would allow, peering through the gap. Her eyes widened.

"Trouble?"

"Holly. Can I come in?"

"Sure. Hold on…"

She closed the door, released the chain, then opened it wide and stood back to let him enter. He paced around the main room, wringing his hands. She shut the door and leaned against it, frowning.

"Trouble? What's wrong?"

He sighed and stopped in front of her, eyes worried.

"Where were you at midnight last night?"

"In here, watching PPTV reruns. Why?"

"An elf was assaulted last night. His description sounds a lot like you."

Holly's mouth fell open. Was he accusing her?

"How could you think I'd…?"

He stepped up close to her, forcing her back against the door. He looked deep into her mismatched eyes and sighed.

"I don't. I never thought you did, but the council are looking into this, and your name cropped up more than once. I just had to make sure that you were ok."

He touched her cheek with the tip of his fingers. Her eyes widened.

"Trouble…"

She never got any further, because he chose that moment to lean down and kiss her. His lips pressed to hers, familiar and warm. She found herself responding, eyes closing and one hand tracing the top button of his shirt. They realised what was going on at the same time, and pulled away, breathing hard.

"Umm…" Holly muttered. Trouble smiled, brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and kissed her cheek.

"I'd better go. I'll see you soon, H."

He moved her out of the way, and walked out, leaving a thoroughly confused Holly behind him.

* * *

Trouble strode into Police Plaza, unaware of the smirk on his face. He strode past several officers before he realised he was attracting attention. He frowned at the nearest, who happened to be Chix Verbil.

"What?"

"You look, err, happy. Something good happen?"

Trouble laughed.

"Yes, Chix, something good did happen. Something very good."

He continued past the sprite, a spring in his step. Chix watched him go with amazement. He hadn't seen the Commander this happy in…ever. A Retrieval sprite sidled up to him.

"What's up with the Commander?"

Chix shrugged.

"I think he got laid."

* * *

Trouble marched into the Ops booth, coming face to face with a gloomy Foaly. His grin faded.

"Foaly? What's up?"

"I just got the CCTV footage from the jewellery store robbery. You need to see this, Troubs."

"Commander Kelp." He corrected automatically, moving to see the screen. What could be bothering the centaur so much? Foaly pressed a button on the keyboard, and the film began to roll. Trouble saw the elf that owned the store lock up, then turn and talk briefly to someone out of shot. Then he went down. There was a brief glimpse of someone in a hood as they broke into the store, and left with a necklace, but that was it. Trouble looked up at Foaly.

"Is that it?"

Foaly sighed and rewound the footage, pausing at a frame when the intruder was just in focus. Trouble frowned. No quip, no nothing. This really was serious. Foaly blew up the section of the screen containing the figure's face. It enlarged, and Trouble gasped and reared back from the screen. There, perfectly visible, was the face of Holly Short.

He turned to Foaly, the last remnants of his smirk disappearing.

"It can't be Holly. She wouldn't do a thing like this…"

"She vanished for three years, Trouble. How well do we really know her?"

_I never thought she'd fall for a mud man, either_ he thought, but didn't say it aloud. Maybe some of Artemis's illegal activities had rubbed off on her. Whatever the cause, the evidence was on the screen before them. Holly had robbed the store.

Trouble sank into the nearest chair. Not Holly. It couldn't have been, especially after what had just happened…

"She was at home" he muttered. Foaly shut down the camera footage and turned to face the elf.

"Can anyone corroborate that?"

Trouble closed his eyes and rubbed the tips of his ears. There had to be some other explanation. Foaly sighed unhappily.

"I hate this just as much as you do, but you have to at least question her, Troubs. If it was anyone other than Holly, you'd yank them in here in a heartbeat."

"But it's not anyone else!" he snapped, jumping out of the chair. "Holly wouldn't do this! I know her!"

"Are you sure about that? Did she tell you about the time travel beforehand, or about her communications with Artemis? Do you know how she feels about the mud boy?"

Foaly cut himself off there, before he could say any more. Trouble was glaring daggers at him, and he didn't want to shred the Commander's heart by telling him Holly's true feelings for Artemis.

Trouble shook his head. He didn't believe it. He _wouldn't_ believe it.

"Holly and Artemis are friends, centaur." Of that, at least, he was sure. He turned and walked towards the door, pausing in the doorway. He spoke softly, his gaze not leaving the door handle.

"But you're right. I do have to bring her in."

He sighed and clenched one fist.

"Call Captain Vein. Tell him to escort her to Police Plaza. I'm going to my office, and I don't want to be disturbed until she gets here."

Foaly watched the Commander go, disturbed. He never thought he'd see the day that he was going after Holly. She was his best friend, but she'd broken into a store and she was going to break Trouble's heart. He sighed and called Captain Vein. There was an arrest to be made.

* * *

Holly stood in the living room in her pyjamas for several minutes after Trouble left, attempting to process what had just happened. He'd kissed her – and she kissed him back? What was going on? She loved Artemis, hell, she'd told the boy as much! She couldn't still have feelings for Trouble, could she?

_It's just because he surprised you_ she told herself. _You weren't expecting it, so you reacted without thinking_. One problem with that, though. If that had been anyone else, she'd have punched then so hard they'd have seen stars. _Maybe it was just because he was familiar_.

She groaned and ran a hand through her hair.

"D'Arvit" she muttered. Gods, she was confused. What was going on with her?

She shook herself, and went to get dressed. She picked the longest t-shirt she could find in her wardrobe and pulled it on. It covered her scars. Good.

There was another knock at the door, but this was less aggressive, less sure of itself. Holly opened it warily. If it was Trouble again, she'd have to tell him that they were just friends. Maybe it would ease her confusion if she knew it wasn't going to happen again.

It wasn't Trouble. Two LEP officers stood at her door, faces sombre behind their raised visors. Holly frowned.

"Captain Vein?"

"Short. Let us in."

She closed the door and unlatched the chain. The two officers walked in stiffly. Holly analysed the situation in a second. He'd called her 'Short', demanded to be let in, and the junior officer was clutching a piece of paper in his hand. Her eyes widened in shock.

"You're here to arrest me?"

Vein inclined his head slightly. Holly could see doubt in his eyes. He didn't like doing this, but he had to follow orders. He attempted to smile at her encouragingly. It didn't work.

"Should I bother reading you your rights?"

Holly shook her head mutely. He sighed, and pulled a pair of cuffs from his belt.

"Hands out, Short."

For a second, Holly considered disobeying, running. But then it would look like she was guilty. She sighed and held her arms out, wrists up. He zipped the cuffs on, and walked her to the police cruiser sitting in front of her house. He opened the door for her, and she thought she heard a muttered 'Sorry' as he slammed it behind her.

* * *

Holly had been sitting in the cell for half an hour before Trouble plucked up the courage to go and see her. He studied her for several long moments via the in-cell camera. She was sitting on the floor, hands resting on knees, staring a hole in the opposite wall. He sighed and opened the door.

* * *

Holly glared at the stones of the wall as if they could give her answers. Why was she locked up in here? Surely, the council couldn't actually believe she was guilty? She rubbed her wrists, feeling angry more than anything else. She'd done the routine several times, putting the cuffs on the perp, reading them their rights, etc. She'd never been on the receiving end though, never realised how humiliating the whole experience was. She shouldn't be finding out now. She'd done nothing wrong!

Suddenly the cell door opened, and Trouble waked in. She spared him a glance before returning her glare to the opposite wall. How could he have let them do this to her?

"Holly. Are you alright?"

She laughed a little at that, but didn't answer him. He knelt by her side, looked at her familiar features, and sighed. It was Holly on the CCTV footage, no doubt. She looked at him, read the thought in his eyes.

"I didn't do it, Trouble."

He looked into her eyes, trying to detect a lie. Nothing, no flicker, just a determined stare. So either she was telling the truth, or she was so good at lying he couldn't detect it.

"What's going on here, Holly?"

"I wish I knew" she replied stiffly. He reached out to touch her hand, but she flinched away. He pulled his hand back in to his side, stood and left without another word. Holly didn't watch him go. He didn't believe her. He thought she'd done it. How could he?

* * *

Trouble left the cell, locking the door behind him. Which was it? Was she telling the truth, or was she lying? He watched the monitor again, as she lowered her head onto her arms. She was crying. Trouble touched the screen gently, then his resolve snapped back into place, and he strode out of the cells, determined to talk to the council. Surely he could make them see sense. The guilty party did not wait until they were alone to cry, they bawled their eyes out in public, trying to show fear or remorse. Holly was innocent. Now, he just had to convince the council to let her go. It was going to be hard. On the one hand, there was CCTV footage showing her robbing the store. _Not her_ he reminded himself. _Just someone who looks like her_.

So, irrefutable evidence verses his gut instinct. Impossible odds, but he had to try.

* * *

I kind of feel sorry for Trouble in this chapter (not how I planned it), but oh well. Please, review and tell me what you think! Also, on my profile there is a poll on the best pairings in the world of AF. If you go and vote, I'll write a story about the winning one. Thanks, everyone who's reading this. Love you all!

Liris

* * *


	6. Jailbreak

I'm sory this chapter is so short, but I've got coursework to do, as well as updating Hunt. Ok, excuses over. Enjoy! Oh, and thanks to everone who's reading and reviewing, it means a lot!

* * *

Jailbreak

Foaly paced the Ops booth, wringing his hands. Holly was denying everything (not that he expected her to do otherwise), but she'd convinced Trouble that she was telling the truth. Holly had never been a fantastic liar, and Trouble had always been able to tell when she was bending the truth. He guy had grown up with her; he knew when she was lying to him. So maybe she wasn't lying. Or she didn't know that she was... was it possible? Could she have been mesmerised? He rewound the tape, pausing on the close-up of her face. There was something wrong with the picture (other than the fact that Holly was robbing a jewellery store), but he couldn't quite see what. All he knew was that something wasn't right.

Foaly leaned back, sighing. Was he looking for something that wasn't there? Or was there actually something on this screen that could exonerate Holly? He knew who would probably be able to tell him, but he was loathe to contact Artemis. He still wasn't sure who he blamed for Holly's fall from grace, the elf or the human. Or both. He grunted, and then opened an email link to the surface. Maybe he didn't actually have to _talk_ to the boy...

* * *

Artemis was sitting in his study, composing a list of witty retorts to 'girlfriend' cracks. He had a feeling he was going to need them in the near future. He'd gotten smug smiles off his father, and even Butler had smirked at him when he mentioned Holly's name. Juliet had been cooking dinner, humming 'Arty loves Holly' under her breath. At that point, he decided to leave. He wasn't going to win this one.

A pop-up opened at the bottom of his computer screen. 'You have mail' it read. He frowned. It wasn't off Holly; those came up automatically with a glyph and colour coding. Who else would be mailing him? Minerva wasn't talking to him (he wasn't exactly sure why, something to do with skipping a meeting to help Holly), and who else had his email address? He isolated the computer in case the email held a virus, then double clicked the icon. The email was in gnomish, and it took him a second to mentally translate it to English. What he read made his eyes widen.

'Fowl.

Holly has been arrested for theft. Trouble's trying to clear her name, but there's video evidence. I think there could be something wrong with it. Look at it for me; let me know what you think.

Foaly.'

Artemis leaned back in his swivel chair, frowning. Holly, a thief? That sounded wrong for a start. How many times had she yelled at him for his skirmishes with illegality? Her words, from when he'd first met encountered her flowed back to him.

"A thief. You're just a thief."

The scorn in her voice still stung, thought this time it was his conscience rather than his pride that took a knock. No, Holly couldn't be a thief. So what did Foaly mean _video evidence_? He opened the attachment, and a picture filled the screen. It was a close-up still of Holly's face, or something that closely resembled Holly's face. Foaly was right, there was something not quite right...

* * *

Holly stood and paced her cell, trying to figure out who could have framed her, and why. She'd come up with a list for each, but as all she could come up with was 'Opal Koboi' and 'Revenge', they didn't really count as lists. Besides, why would Opal frame her for theft? Murder, yes, she'd already tried that one, but theft wouldn't get her much beyond two or so decades behind bars. Not a very fitting retribution. Besides, Koboi was in prison – she'd better be, anyway. She'd only been recaptured two days earlier.

So that left her with 'Revenge'. But who's? And why; who had she irritated this time? She groaned and leaned against the wall. This wasn't helping anything. Even if she did somehow manage to miraculously figure out who was framing her, no one would believe her. She may be a decorated Recon officer, but she was also the only girl on the force, and the only officer in history to have two simultaneous IA investigations into her conduct. She didn't stand a chance. Even Trouble thought she was guilty!

She wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands, refusing to cry again. She had to be strong, she couldn't afford to sit there and weep. She had to get out of the cell, had to prove her innocence. But how?

At that moment, her cell door opened and Trouble hurried in, gun cocked. Holly was alert at once.

"Trouble? What's wrong?"

"This whole situation" he growled, eyes on the corridor outside the cell. He spared her a glance.

"Come on, Holly. I'm getting you out of here."

Holly blinked at him, sure she'd misheard.

"What?"

"Hurry up! I don't know how long this corridor is going to stay empty!"

Holly walked to his side; intuition telling her there was more to this situation than there appeared to be. Trouble wouldn't just break her out, no matter what his feelings were for her. He was, first and foremost, a police officer, and he wouldn't do something like this. Something was wrong.

"What's going on?"

Trouble grabbed her arm and towed her out of the cell. He ran up the corridor, pulling her behind him, and it was all she could do to stay on her feet. He ignored her protests (not that she hadn't wanted to get out of the cell, but not like _this_), heaving her along by the arm. They emerged from the jail area, and were immediately confronted by Chix Verbil. The sprite took in the scene before him, and cleared his throat uncertainly.

"Commander? Isn't she supposed to stay _inside_ the cell?"

Trouble raised the gun barrel and shot him in the chest. He went down in a heap. Holly stared in shock for a second, then fought harder than before, eventually managing to tug her arm free. By this time they were outside, on a deserted street at the back of Police Plaza. Trouble had led her out of the building via a fire exit. He whirled and frowned at her.

"Don't fight me, Holly. I'm doing this to help you."

She glared at him. His eyes held none of their usual warmth, or humour. They were cold, and dark. Dangerous. He took a step towards her. She slapped him.

"Who are you? You're not Trouble, he'd never do this."

The elf before her smiled, and it was nothing like Trouble's smile. It was cold, and calculating, a little like Artemis's grin from a few years back.

"You're right." He whispered, but his voice carried clearly over to Holly. "I'm not Trouble Kelp. Not even close."

"You're the one who framed me." Her voice was cold enough to freeze the Sahara desert. The elf's smile widened and he nodded once.

"You always were smart. What's the matter, Holly, don't you remember me?"

He took a step backwards, into the light of the streetlamp. His outline blurred, and changed. He shrunk a couple of centimetres, his hair got darker and longer, and his skin tone darkened. Holly gasped.

"Kiernan" she breathed. His form solidified, and he stepped forwards again.

"You do recall me after all. I'm flattered."

Holy whirled and ran for the street corner. She had to warn Foaly...

There was a sharp pain between her shoulder blades, and she fell to the floor. Kiernan holstered the stolen handgun, and squatted by her side. He brushed the hair out of her eyes, and checked her pulse. Steady. Good. He needed her alive, for the moment. He scooped her up into his arms, and made his way to the nearest shuttle hangar. It was time to implement the next stage of his plan.

* * *

Yes, an OC. I did tell you he was coming. Quite a few of you actually guessed really well about him, but if anyone can tell me how Holly knows him, I'll have to think of a prize to give you. Thanks for sticking with this, and I'll post some longer (and better, hopefully) chapters soon.

Please review, and tell me what you think!

Love you all!


	7. Mistaken Identity

Thanks to everyone for sticking with this. Apologies for the cliffhangers, and yes, there's another one coming up here. It's not as bad as the other ones though, so take some comfort in that. I'm getting better.

* * *

Mistaken Identity

Artemis stared at the picture on the screen, brow furrowed in concentration. The figure did look a lot like Holly, but there was something out of place. His eyes devoured the image, looking for the flaw that he knew was there, but that he couldn't quite see. Damn it, why did his infamous observation skills have to fail him now, when Holly was on the line?

He was interrupted by a knock on the study window. Holly was hovering outside, wearing black trousers and some form of shirt that was too big for her. He just stared for a second. How had she gotten there? She knocked again, more frantically this time. He shook the doubts from his mind and let her in. She cut the power to her wings and sank to her knees on the floor. He knelt next to her.

"Holly? What's going on? Foaly said you'd been arrested!"

"I was" she whispered, not meeting his eyes. "I didn't do it, though."

"Of course you didn't" he said, putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing lightly. "But you broke out? What's happening, why are you here?"

He knew why. He was her only aboveground contact, plus the only person she knew who could – or would – hide her. He just hadn't thought that she'd be the type of person to run if she was innocent; look at her behaviour after Julius Root was murdered.

She looked up from the floor when he touched her, desperation in her hazel eyes.

"Help me, Artemis."

He nodded slowly, pulling her to her feet. The feeling that something was wrong was back, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was that was causing it. Her hair fell over her eyes. As he'd done before, he brushed it away, and suddenly he knew what was wrong. He opened his mouth to call for Butler, but never got beyond 'But...'

"Human" intoned Holly, voice hypnotic. "Your will is mine."

Her eyes swelled to consume Artemis, her voice rang in his ears. He tried to fight it, tried to keep hold of his free will. Holly stepped closer, gazing deep into his eyes.

"Give in to it, mud man. Don't fight me."

Artemis felt control slipping from his grasp. With the last of his strength, he yelled as loud as he could.

"Butler!"

* * *

Butler was halfway up the stairs when he heard the boys shout. He ran for the study, and burst in to see Holly Short holding a dagger and approaching Artemis from behind. He spared the boy a glance as he pulled his Sig Sauer from his belt. Artemis was staring vacantly at thin air, his face blank. She'd mesmerised him.

Even so, Butler was loathe to hurt Holly. She had saved their lives so many times, and this was way out of character for her. But he couldn't let her hurt Artemis. He aimed briefly, and fired a single shot. It clipped her wrist and she dropped the blade, cursing. Butler reached out to grab her, but she fired up her wings and soared out of the window before he could get close. She shimmered into invisibility as he slammed the window shut, then turned back to the immobile boy behind him. He waved a hand in front of Artemis's face. No reaction. His eyes were half closed, his lips parted slightly. He was deep in the trance, and Butler had no way of pulling him out of it. That was when the communicator ring lit up and started to bleep shrilly.

* * *

Foaly couldn't quite believe what his cameras were showing him. If he was to believe his own eyes, then the commander had just broken Holly out of her cell and shot down Private Verbil. He wiped at his eyes, then checked again. There was Trouble, pulling a protesting Holly through the building. And on the adjacent camera, there he was again, arguing heatedly with chairman Cahertez. He sank into his swivel chair. Had he finally cracked?

He sat upright as the implications of what he'd seen made themselves known. If there were two Trouble Kelp's then maybe there were two Holly Short's...

The Ops Booth door slammed behind him as he cantered to the commander's office.

* * *

"What do you mean, not her? We've got a perfectly clear shot of her right there! Are you refuting the video evidence, Kelp? You're letting your personal feelings get in the way of this investigation..." Cahertez bellowed, pointing at Trouble accusingly. He took a deep breath to shout some more, but was interrupted by a slightly out-of-breath voice from behind him.

"Actually, he's not."

Cahertez whirled. Foaly was there, panting a little. He didn't run that fast very often, though he was in much better shape now than he had been. Jogging every night with your wife will do that to you.

"What?" asked the chairman, in a would-be calm tone. He sounded like he was growling. Foaly hastily explained the footage he'd just seen. There was a stunned silence for several seconds, then Cahertez sank into Trouble's swivel chair, head in hands.

"This is all we need" he muttered. Trouble had a blunter approach. He thumped the intercom button and hollered into the microphone.

"All senior officers get to the Ops Booth, NOW!"

He followed Foaly down the corridor, jubilation warring with worry in his stomach. Holly was innocent (he knew it!), but she was in danger again. She seemed to attract it. He suppressed a groan. Protecting her was a full-time occupation, and he didn't seem to be doing a very good job of it.

Within fifteen minutes, half of Police Plaza was crammed into the Ops Booth. Foaly played the footage again. When Chix was shot, half the crowd winced and half suppressed a snort of laughter. Chix wasn't the most popular sprite on the force; probably something to do with the way he flirted with everyone else's girlfriends. Trouble sent an officer by the door to go and rescue the downed sprite, then turned back to the screen in time to see Holly get dragged out of a fire door. Foaly stopped the tape.

"That's it."

No one moved for a few seconds, but then Trouble began to yell orders, and there was a scramble to get out of the doors. Retrieval went to suit up, and other officers went to scout out the side of the building where Holly had been abducted. In a surprisingly short amount of time, Trouble and Foaly were alone in the Ops Booth. Foaly pulled up another screen and began pushing buttons rapidly. Trouble frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling for help" admitted the centaur, grinding his teeth. It really galled him to admit it, but he was stumped. He knew of only one other person who may even have a chance of working out what was happening. Artemis Fowl.

* * *

Butler slid the ring off Artemis's finger and answered it. The boy didn't as much as blink.

"Yes?" he barked into the phone. He wasn't feeling too charitable towards fairies in general just then.

"Butler? Where's Artemis?"

Butler sighed, casting another look over the oblivious boy next to him.

"What do you want Foaly?"

"I want to talk to Artemis. That boy and I need to have a serious conversation."

"Well, you're stuck with me" Butler snapped. He didn't try to prevent his voice from rising. "So get to the point, quickly."

"Okay, okay. No need to get grouchy."

Butler actually growled. Foaly decided to get to the point.

"Holly may not be...ouch...isn't Holly, so be careful."

"What?"

Foaly sighed, rubbing his ribs where Trouble had elbowed him.

"There's an imposter running around, impersonating people. I really need to talk to Artemis, get his opinion on this..."

"Then you're going to have to help me" Butler said, casting a fresh eye over Artemis. Holly hadn't done this to him. For some reason, that made Butler feel a lot better. He summarised the events of the last few minutes into the ring. The silence on the other end of the line was deafening.

"Well, this is bad" Foaly said. Trouble snatched the microphone.

"Butler, bring him to E1. I'll meet you there. I'll wake him up, and then we can all put our heads together and figure this thing out."

Trouble closed his eyes as he spoke. This was the second time in a week the humans had been invited underground. He was really going to have to reassess the emergency procedures.

* * *

The ending is bad, and I'm sorry for that. I'm quite willing to take any suggestions for improvement.

No one's quite guessed who Kiernan is yet, but a couple of people are on the right track. Also, there is a deliberate 'mistake' in this, and if anyone reviews pointing it out you will get a smiley in reply that look like this ;) That means you've spotted the big clue! Yay! I also know that Kiernan/Holly gets to the surface scarily fast - all will be explained! Next chapter. Love you all, and I'll update soon.

Btw, I'm running out of ideas for chapter names. Anyone want to get a sneak preview, and suggest names for me? Kind of like a beta, but without the full chapter. Let me know?

Liris  
xxxx


	8. Discovery

Many thanks to A. Thorn for the title of this chapter, have some cookies! Also, thanks to itachi-was-mine for Keth Ael (the name is her, and hers alone). Emerald Magic also deserves a mention, so thanks to you all!  
Ok, prize-award-winner-at-the-oscars speech over (sorry it came out that way, not how it was intended). On with the story! Well done to everyone who found the 'error' last chapter, and I'll put you out of your misery about the Kiernan/Holly relationship this time. Also, another cliffie at the end of this. You have been warned!  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to EC, and those described above.

* * *

Discovery

Trouble was waiting when the Bentley pulled up outside the fairy fort at Tara. Butler got out of the driver's seat, and opened the back door.

"He's inside, Commander" Butler said, speaking to a point about six feet to Trouble's left. The elf sighed and unshielded. He climbed into the car, and saw Artemis sitting on the leather upholstery, staring into space. He knelt in front of the boy, massaged the tips of his ears and spoke clearly in a mesmeric voice.

"Artemis, wake up."

The boy blinked and shook his head, coming to his senses quickly. He realised what had happened, and spoke to Trouble, ignoring any need he may have felt to be polite.

"It wasn't Holly, on that tape, or in the study."

"We know" Trouble interceded, pulling the boy out of the car by the sleeve. Artemis dutifully followed.

"Tara?" he asked Butler. "How long was I under?"

"Long enough" the manservant replied, gesturing for Artemis to follow Trouble into the fort. The doors clanged shut behind them. Artemis wasn't sure how good an omen that was, then dismissed the thought. Being negative wasn't going to help anyone.

* * *

Trouble wasn't happy. Firstly, he'd been forced to close E1 for the second time in four days. The two humans were once again below ground with an _invitation_, and Holly was missing. To top it all off, Foaly was being...less than civil towards Artemis. The centaur was refusing to meet the boy's eyes, staring at the opposite side of the Ops Booth. Trouble ground his teeth. He wasn't sure how this situation could get any worse. That was when Artemis decided to impart his wisdom.

"The imposter had two hazel eyes. As you know, Holly and I switched in the time tunnel at Hybras. The camera footage may be in black and white, but you can see that the irises are the same colour."

Artemis pointed at the relevant area of the screen as he spoke, illustrating his point. For a second, Foaly forgot that he was mad at the boy.

"By the gods, you're right!"

Artemis shrugged.

"Of course I am. By the way, why is the footage black and white? I thought you had colour security cameras?"

"We, meaning the LEP, do. The jewellery store uses an old system."

Trouble had had enough.

"We still don't know who the imposter is!" he yelled, slamming his hand down onto the counter. Foaly and Artemis both winced as his fist missed the machinery by millimetres. Butler forestalled any debate over computer-care by pulling the knife that the imposter had dropped.

"We have this. Whoever the fairy was, they left this behind. Foaly, can you do that DNA thing again? See who touched it?"

The centaur clopped over to Butler, taking the knife from him by the blade.

"I can try."

* * *

Holly groaned as she regained consciousness. Her head was pounding, and she was lying in a very uncomfortable position; her hands were cuffed behind her back, pulling at the muscles in her shoulders.

"Oh," came a voice from somewhere above her. "Waking up, are we?"

Her eyelids flickered open. There was a figure leaning over her. She blinked slowly, trying to get them in focus. She was still half-sedated, so it took a while, but once she figured out who it was, she started to struggle into a sitting position. Kiernan watched her for a few minutes, then pushed her upright against the side of the shuttle. She leaned against it heavily, trying to squirm away from him without falling over, not an easy feat.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking at him to search for any flaws, anything that said it wasn't him. But then, the person in front of her could shape shift, so it might not be. _No_, she caught herself, _could not be_. Kiernan was dead.

Her captor smirked and laid a hand on her cheek. She pulled away.

"It's me, Holly. Kiernan. The same elf who stole your LEP acorns the day after you were given them, because it was my birthday and all anyone could talk about was you. Do you remember that?"

Holly's eyes widened. It was Kiernan, it had to be. Only the two of them knew about that incident. She'd kept quiet about it, just like she'd kept quiet about so many other things.

"Kiernan? But, how...?"

He patted her cheek and stood.

"All in good time, Holly. All in good time."

* * *

Trouble was pacing as Foaly ran the DNA test.

"Well?" he snapped, when the centaur eventually reappeared. Foaly looked offended.

"Well what? I don't have the results yet, it took ages to extract the DNA. Butler's was all mixed in."

Butler coughed into his fist and stared at the wall. Trouble sent him a glare, which Butler ignored, and turned on Foaly again.

"Get back in there until we have a result, centaur, or else."

Foaly thought about saying 'or else what', but the look on Trouble's face stopped him. He mumbled a meek-sounding "Yes sir" and trotted back to the machine. Artemis tapped the countertop for attention. Trouble rounded on him, remembering just in time not to shout.

"Yes, Artemis?"

"Whilst that is running, perhaps we should come up with a list of possible culprits? Opal, for instance."

Trouble shook his head.

"Opal is locked up tight, I checked. Her past self is back in the past, where she belongs, before you ask."

Artemis frowned.

"Well then, if not Opal, then who? They took Holly, you said?"

Trouble nodded mutely. If he opened his mouth right then, he'd start yelling. Artemis's stomach churned, but he forced himself to think with his head. Getting emotional wouldn't help to get Holly back.

"Then someone with a grudge. She mentioned an old boyfriend to me, said it ended badly...?"

Trouble frowned.

"There's only one that I know of. His name was Keth something. Eel? Ael? Something like that."

"Keth Ael" came Foaly's tone from out of sight. "And badly is an understatement. His mother threw a plate at her. She had a bruise for weeks. The magic wouldn't heal it because of the way the plate was manufactured."

Artemis nodded, wondering why everyone seemed to know about Holly's love life.

"That's the one."

Trouble pulled out his communicator and dialled a number from memory.

"Captain Vein? I want you to bring in one Keth Ael for questioning. Now, Captain."

He hung up, frowning at the look on Artemis's face.

"What's wrong now, mud boy?"

"If he did abduct Holy, I hardly think he's going to be sitting at home."

"Leave the police work to me, human" Trouble growled, unable to dispute the teenager's logic. D'Arvit, he hated it when humans were right.

* * *

Kiernan paced in front of Holly, his eyes not leaving her bound form. She got bored of this very quickly, plus it was making her dizzy.

"What do you want, Kiernan? If you wanted a reunion, you should have picked up the phone."

"I want my vengeance, Holly. I want to hurt you as much as you've hurt me. I was going to kill that human you spend so much time with..."

At this, Holly snarled.

"Stay away from Artemis, you..."

Kiernan slapped her, preventing her from uttering the string of curses forming on the tip of her tongue.

"Watch your language, Holly. I don't like it when you swear at me. And I'll do what I like."

He stood, and Holly resisted the urge to spit at him. He'd only do something even more vicious.

"Just stay away from Artemis."

Kiernan smirked at her.

"The human is safe enough...for now. He's already belowground. It's only a matter of time before I have a clear shot. It's a pity the last attempt failed..."

"Last attempt? What did you do?" Holly tugged at her restraints, but only managed to cut herself on the handcuffs. They were LEP issue, however, so no chance of melting them with her magic like she'd done at the Paradizo estate.

"Nothing much. I mesmerised him, but that giant of a mud man stopped me from killing him. However, I did find out something interesting..."

Holly glared at him. If she swore at him, she'd only regret it later. He knelt in front of her, looking into her eyes from inches away.

"The boy is in love with you" he whispered.

* * *

Captain Vein entered the Ops Booth, dragging a protesting elf behind him. He nodded at Trouble, sat the elf down in a chair and left the room. Trouble knelt in front of the 'guest'.

"So, Keth."

"Yes?" asked the elf warily. He didn't appreciate being hauled out of his home.

"When was the last time you saw Holly?"

Keth frowned.

"Who?"

"Holly Short" Artemis interceded, before Trouble could start shouting again. Either he was channelling Julius Root, or the pressure of the job had this effect on all commanders. "Around 1 metre tall, red hair, hazel eyes, pretty?"

Keth smiled as he recalled.

"Oh, yeah. Holly. Hey, how is she? Still single?"

From the earful Keth received from Trouble, Artemis surmised that the elf was somewhat of a ladies' man, and when Holly had broken it off with him, his mother had gotten very angry and thrown her out of the house. Trouble drew in a deep breath to yell some more, but was interrupted by Foaly sticking his head around the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have the results of the test."

Trouble hollered for Captain Vein, and demanded that Keth be returned home. When the two had left the Booth, Ael threatening to sue, Foaly trotted over to the computer and pulled up the results on the screen. A long, complicated string of letters came up. Foaly gestured at the board.

"So?" Trouble asked, his voice dangerously calm. Foaly recognised the tone. It was the one Julius used to use right before he threatened budget cuts. He swallowed and got to the point.

"This is the DNA code from the knife. Not all of it, just the important bit. It's not Holly's. It's not even female."

Artemis moved forward, interested.

"How is that possible?"

"Who cares?" Trouble interrupted. "Just tell us who it is. You know, right?"

"Right. The DNA is male, but very similar to Holly's. Most of the identifying features are the same. Which means it's a relative. A close relative."

Artemis frowned.

"But her father died, didn't he?"

Foaly nodded.

"He did, but it's not her father's DNA."

"But then who..."

"Kiernan" breathed Trouble. Foaly nodded.

"I'm afraid so."

Artemis was feeling left out, and he didn't like it. He wasn't used to not knowing things.

"Who's Kiernan?"

Trouble sighed and rubbed the tips of his ears.

"This isn't possible. He died, years ago."

"That's who it is commander, I'm certain. Kiernan Short."

"Short?" Artemis asked. He didn't like being ignored either. Trouble turned to him. He'd forgotten that the boy was there.

"Short, yes. Holly's brother."

* * *

I told you there was a cliffie. I'm also aware that it goes a bit fast in places, but I was trying to updatebefore I go away, so if you want I'll fine-tune it when I get back. Let me know what you think, and chocolate to all who review! Thanks to you all for reading this, and much love!

Liris  
xxx


	9. Rock and Roll Lifestyle

Okay, I've been trying to update this for nearly a week, but the system's been down. So, to make up for it, longer chapter than normal! Yay! On the downside, there's a cliffie, but it's not as bad as the previous one. Lilly, don't die!!!  
Disclaimer: I actually own stuff this time! Whoop! Kiernan and the plot are mine, everything else belongs to EC. Can I call him that? Oh well, enjoy!

* * *

Rock and Roll Lifestyle

Holly didn't know what to do. There was no love lost between her and her brother; if he found out about her and Artemis, he'd report her and make her life a living hell. That was assuming that she got out of this situation alive. She closed her eyes, trying to hide the rising panic, and concentrated on her breathing. Slow, and calm. No need to confirm any suspicions Kiernan may have.

Kiernan didn't notice Holly's reaction beyond discomfort. He chuckled and stood, pacing in front of her.

"The look on his face when he brushed the hair out of my - sorry, your – eyes was so tender. A little worried, I guess I wasn't convincing as you, but the boy has feelings for you. Tell me, sister, how does that make you feel?"

Holly didn't answer. Kiernan would only twist anything she said to make it sound like she reciprocated Artemis's feelings. It didn't matter that she did, her brother could not find out. Instead, she opened her eyes and glared at him.

"I was at your recycling ceremony twelve years ago, Kiernan. How are you still alive?"

He smiled, and sat down opposite her, arms resting on knees.

"When I was in prison, courtesy of you, I discovered Seraph."

Holly gasped. "Drugs? Kiernan, you promised you'd stopped!"

"And you promised to leave me alone! Instead, you arrested me!" he bellowed. Holly looked away. Kiernan calmed down, and continued with his monologue.

"Seraph made me feel like nothing else ever had. It also gave me...abilities. It allowed me to shape shift, to teleport. I wasn't the only one, of course. I _was_ the only one it didn't kill off. I stopped taking it after a while, but the effects stayed."

"So, at the recycling ceremony..."  
"His name was Billy. I convinced him to change shapes with me. He died, and was recycled under my name."

"And you?"

"Billy was released last week. Three decades off for good behaviour."

He laughed humourlessly, and stood.

"Guess I'm about to break that streak."

* * *

Artemis blinked, trying to process the information.

"Holly has a brother?"

Trouble nodded numbly, sinking into the nearest chair.

"Kiernan was..._is_ twenty years older than Holly. I thought he'd died twelve years ago."

Artemis turned as Foaly took over the narrative.

"He was always in trouble, but nothing serious until he hit sixty or so. He got into drugs, and then into crime. Robberies, stuff like that."

"We were still at school then" Trouble murmured. "Holly used to come in with bruises, but she'd never tell us what had happened."

Artemis's eyes widened. Foaly whinnied in anger.

"Eventually, he was arrested, but he got released after two years. Holly had joined the force by that point, so he left her alone."

There was silence, broken by Butler.

"What happened then?"

Trouble just sat numbly, so Foaly answered the question.

"He was implicated in a string of violent crimes. Holly was assigned to the case. She caught him, and he was sent to prison for three decades. Howler's Peak, if I remember correctly. A group of the inmates took drugs, and it killed most of them. Kiernan was one of the ones who died. Or so we thought."

Trouble stood shakily and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Pull up a picture, so they can see what he looks like."

"Not that it will do much good" Artemis pointed out. "He can shape shift, presumably a side-effect of the drug."

Foaly ignored him and opened the file anyway. The face of an elf filled the screen. His hair was dark brown, but had streaks of red throughout. He had the same basic face shape as Holly, and his eyes were the same shade of hazel as hers. It was easy to see they were related.

Artemis glared at the image. He was still trying to process the information, particularly the domestic violence part. This was who had Holly now. "We have to rescue her" he muttered, without realising that he'd spoken aloud. Foaly looked at him, recognising the tone. There was the same tenderness in the boy's voice as there was on the video of him and Holly kissing. _He really does have feelings for her_ Foaly realised, unsure what to make of the information. In the end he decided to reserve judgement until Holly was safe.

He turned back to his computers and opened the DNA scope log. He scanned through all of them checking for Holly's DNA. Nothing. Giving up on that, he checked for Kiernan's. Again, no results. Foaly frowned. How was it possible for Kiernan to get to the surface without going through the chutes? It wasn't. Then again, it was also supposedly impossible to shape shift. He closed the programme down with a sigh.

"They haven't been in the chutes. We have no way of knowing where they are."

Trouble turned to Artemis, desperate.

"Can't you contact her?"

Artemis just looked at him.

"How, Commander? I highly doubt that her brother will let her answer her phone. I have no other medium through which to make contact."

It struck Foaly then.

"Magic."

Everyone in the room turned to stare at him.

"You and Holly share a magical connection."

Trouble scoffed at that one.

"He's a mu...human, Foaly. He has no magic."

Foaly sighed and opened the video of the two kissing. Artemis's eyes widened and Trouble sank back into the chair as his knees gave way. On screen, a blue glow emanated from the pair, throwing odd shadows against the walls. Artemis was just as surprised as anyone else by this; he'd had his eyes closed whilst they were kissing. Foaly paused the tape just as they broke apart. Trouble was already looking murderous; there was no need to give him heart failure by making him listen to the next bit.

The Commander took two deep breaths before deciding that he needed fresh air. He stormed out of the room, leaving the door to slam shut behind him. Artemis turned to the centaur.

"You saw that?"

Foaly ignored the boy and began to type furiously.

"What are you doing?" Artemis asked after a few seconds silence. Foaly obviously wasn't going to explain why he'd been spying on them. The centaur grunted in gnommish.

"What did he say?" Butler asked. Artemis shook his head.

"You don't want to know."

Finally, Foaly finished on the computer and trotted over to the two humans.

"I called Number One. He's coming over, and he's going to try to access the link between you and Holly."

Artemis nodded. Foaly took a breath, and then decided _to hell with it_.

"Holly is an adult, and she can make her own decisions. If she wants to be with you, that's her choice. But I swear to you, Fowl, if you're using her at all to further your own ends..."

Butler cracked his knuckles loudly. Foaly backed away.

"I would never hurt Holly" Artemis said quietly, understanding where Foaly was coming from. He had lied to her very recently, manipulating her to get her help. He appreciated that the centaur was just trying to look out for his friend. That didn't mean that he had to like the tone, or the threat.

Foaly nodded once and left the room. Holly's wasn't the only heart that could get broken. He found Trouble in his office, staring at the wall.

"Commander?"

Trouble looked up, startled. He'd been recalling the kiss he and Holly had shared at her apartment, the look of surprise on her face. She hadn't looked like that after she'd kissed the mud man.

"What is it, Foaly?"

"Number One is going to try to re-establish the link between Fowl and Holly. Do you want to oversee? Or do you need to clear this with the Council?"

Foaly was offering him a get-out-free card. He didn't have to be in the same room as Artemis if he didn't want to be. He sucked in a breath, and closed his eyes.

"The Council don't need to know about this. I'm on my way, Foaly."

The centaur nodded. Trouble was still trying to protect Holly. There was nothing Foaly could do to help the Commander, so he returned to the Ops Booth. Number One was already there, talking to Artemis.

"Do you actually know what you're doing?" Artemis asked. He sounded nervous. Number One nodded.

"More or less."

"Fabulous" Artemis muttered. He straightened, and nodded to the imp.

"Whenever you're ready."

Number One made Artemis sit on the floor with his eyes closed.

"You need to picture her in your mind. Nod when you can see her clearly."

That was easy. He could see her standing at his window, the sunlight streaming off her hair, making it gleam. Her eyes shone as she smiled at him, and she kissed his cheek.

"Don't worry, Arty, I won't forget you."

He nodded, ignoring the lump in his throat. Number One put a hand on his temple. Suddenly, there was a blinding pain in his head. He gasped. Number One was talking, but Artemis could barely hear him.

"Call to her, Artemis."

* * *

Trouble walked into the Ops Booth to see Artemis sitting on the floor in obvious pain. His first thought was _good_, then he realised that the boy was trying to contact Holly. Number One was kneeling by his side, talking into his ear.

"Call to her, make her hear you."

The boy nodded minutely, moving his lips soundlessly. The blue glow of magic started to emanate from his skin. Number One nodded happily.

"It's working."

He sounded almost surprised.

* * *

Kiernan had left Holly alone in the room, presumably he'd gone to pilot the shuttle. She tried to stand, and was halfway to her feet when she was overcome with pain. She fell to her knees, eyes clenched tight shut, trying not to whimper. Whatever Kiernan was doing, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he was causing her pain.

_Holly_

She gasped, partly in pain, mostly in surprise.

_Artemis?_ She wasn't sure if she spoke aloud or just thought this. Whichever, Artemis responded.

_Holly! You can hear me!_

_Yes. How?_

_Number One. I'm not sure he knows exactly what it is he's doing, but it's working._

Holly smiled, eyes still shut. Her head still hurt, but the conversation with Artemis was overriding the pain.

_Tell him I said hi._

_Where are you?_

_In a shuttle, no idea where. Tell Foaly that it's Kiernan. He's my..._

_Your brother, I know_

Holy felt the shuttle rock to a stop. Kiernan would be back in here at any second.

_I have to go. I'll contact you when I know where I am._

She felt his hesitation before he replied. He was worried for her. Evidently, Foaly and Trouble had told him her life story.

_Holly, be careful._

_No, really? _she replied sarcastically. _I'd never have thought of that on my own._

She heard him chuckle, then he was gone. So was the pain in her head. She opened her eyes and leaned back against the shuttle wall. Just in time. Kiernan waltzed in, looking happy. Holly gulped. This couldn't be good.

"We're here" he said, pulling her to her feet and tugging her out of the shuttle. Holly's eyes grew wide when she saw where they were. He noticed her expression, and grinned.

"Apt, no? It ends where it began, nearly two decades ago."

They were at the disused dwarf mine, where Holly had arrested her brother all those years ago. He didn't allow her time to reminisce, instead pulling her over to the nearest door (not too many of those in the mine, just lots of rocks and dirt) and cuffing her to it.

"Now, I'm going to take another crack at your human friend. You can just wait here until I get back. It shouldn't take long. After all..."

He shifted in front of her, and she felt her hands curl into fists. Standing in front of her was...herself. It was like looking in a mirror.

"...I do have the perfect disguise" he finished with aplomb, as if expecting applause. Holly swallowed her anger enough to talk.

"He won't fall for it."

Kiernan tapped her cheek tenderly.

"He doesn't need to fall for it. All he needs to do is pause for a second. And then..."

He pulled a dagger from his pocket, flicked it into the air and caught it by the blade. He grinned at her and left, cackling. Holly sank to the floor, trying to recapture the link with Artemis. Quite apart from letting him know her location, she had to warn him. He wouldn't fall for the trick, but he would probably hesitate for a few milliseconds when he saw 'Holly' standing in the doorway. That was enough time for Kiernan to throw his knife. She couldn't let that happen. Artemis would not die because of her.

* * *

Okay people, that's it for now. I'll update soon, thanks for sticking with this! I know I got Number One OOC, but I can't write him, I'm sorry. I redid that part, like, five times, and this was the best I could get it. Sorry for that. Please, review and make my day.  
Btw, there's only another two or three chapters to go (depends on my mood, homework load etc.) Thanks for reading, love you all! Cookies all around! (I'm in a generous mood right now)

Love  
Liris  
xxx


	10. Confrontation

I realise just how long it's been since I updated this, and I'm so sorry. I had exams, then major writers block. On the upside, I got Hunt finished. Huge apologies for making you all wait, and for the lameness of this chapter. There will be action in the next one, when I get around to writing it, I promise.

* * *

Confrontation

Artemis opened his eyes to find Trouble Kelp glaring at him from inches away. He backpedalled rapidly.

"Commander, please refrain from doing that in the future."

Trouble ground his teeth, ignoring the urge to punch the pale teen before him.

"Well?" he managed to say between clenched teeth. It was just discernable from a growl. "Did it work?"

Artemis nodded and climbed to his feet.

"She's in a shuttle somewhere, she didn't know where. You were right, she was with Kiernan. She said she'd contact me when she knew where she was."

Butler frowned.

"Can she do that without Number One's help?"

Foaly nodded.

"The magic is part of Holly, it's in her genes. Mud Boy here needed the help because he's human."

Artemis refused to rise to the bait. He knew Foaly was mad at him for kissing Holly and for the Commander's feelings of hurt, but he still counted the centaur as a friend and he didn't want to row if it could be helped. He sighed and rubbed his brow as he spoke; attempting to ignore the death-glares Kelp was sending his way.

"Whilst we're waiting for Holly to get back to us, I suggest we..."

He was cut off by a sudden pain in his head. He groaned and sank to his knees; eyes clenched tightly shut and hands pressed to his temples in an attempt to keep some of his brains inside his cranium.

_Artemis_

"Holly" he gasped aloud, breaking up the argument as to whether or not to send for paramedics. Trouble stopped refusing to ask for help, and knelt next to the boy. Number One mimicked his position on the other side, one hand on Artemis's forehead. The speech immediately became clearer and marginally less painful.

_Where are you?_

_Dwarf mine. Trouble knows the place. Listen, Arty..._

She paused. Artemis's stomach clenched.

_Kiernan is coming after you, disguised as me. He can shape shift, and..._

_We know, Holly_ Artemis interrupted. _We're coming to get you._

_Be careful, Arty._

Artemis almost snorted. She was the one who'd been framed, kidnapped and was currently tied up somewhere alone, and she was worried about him?

_You too._

Holly severed their contact, and instantly the pain in his head dissipated. He opened his eyes and struggled to his feet. Butler pulled the fairies out of his way and stood by the boy's side, back in overprotective bodyguard mode. He could only protect the boy from physical harm, and from the looks the Commander kept shooting his way, that may be imminent.

"Where is she?" Trouble barked. Artemis took a deep breath, then explained the conversation. Trouble pulled his gun from its holster and ran from the Ops Booth. For a few seconds, nobody moved, stunned by his quick exit, but then there was a whistle of feedback on the intercom and the elf's voice boomed through the speakers, demanding that Retrieval One get to his office now. Foaly winced.

"He has no idea how much that equipment costs. To get it to do that, he must have dragged the mike across the desk. Now I suppose he'll be complaining when he discovers the scratch in the wood..."

He continued to grumble as her pulled up a tracker system and handed Butler and Artemis each an old model LEP locator. Artemis studied it for a second before placing it around his wrist. It was the same model as the one he'd blown up when he'd first encountered Holly. He wondered whether the centaur had dredged up the memory on purpose, then decided that he was being paranoid.

The locator only just fit around Butler's huge wrist. It dug into the flesh, immediately sending pins and needles running through his hand. He sighed and pulled it off, handing it back to Foaly. He'd rather be able to shoot than be able to be found. Foaly grinned sheepishly as he took the device back.

"Sorry about that, Butler. I'm working on a larger model, but I've got to get the Council to pass it first, and they're not too keen on the idea."

"Couldn't you just put an extra length of elastic into it or something?"

Artemis tapped his foot impatiently, breaking up the conversation.

"Why the dwarf mine? Holly said it like there was some significance to the location."

"It's where she arrested her brother the first time. Apparently, he's one for tradition."

Artemis nodded thoughtfully.

"Did Mulch ever work there?"

Foaly shrugged.

"Probably, at some point. Most dwarves in Haven have, if they're over fifty."

Artemis pulled his communicator from his pocket and asked for the number for the Diggums and Day PI firm. Foaly supplied it, then surreptitiously hacked into the line. This conversation he wanted to hear.

* * *

Holly opened her eyes and glared at the handcuffs tying her to the door. At least now only one wrist was tied. She looked around for a weapon, any weapon. There were a few chunks of rock nearby, but her arms were not long enough to allow her to reach them. She huffed and examined the cuff again. It was LEP issue, metal. Gone were the days of LEP cuffs with security locks, like at the temple of Artemis. These could only be opened by inserting the code registered to the officer that owned the cuffs. The code was changed weekly. Kiernan had managed to open them, but where had he gotten them from? She typed in her code, but nothing happened. Too obvious.

Earlier, he'd had a gun too – maybe this was from the same owner? A lot of the new LEP sprites now were going through a phase of getting their names engraved onto their weaponry. Apparently, Chix Verbil had started, it, and some of the younger, denser sprites had copied him. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to recall the gun. There was a mark of some sort on the side, an engraving, but she hadn't actually registered what it had said. She opened her eyes, fuming at herself. Even if she had been able to discern the name on the side, it was highly unlikely that she'd know the code. Desperate, she typed in the ones she did know, but none of them worked. She even tried the ones from a week ago, with the same result. She thumped the door and made a sound of pure anger. She was helpless, and she hated it.

_Come on, you've defeated Opal three times, survived near-death (and actual death) experiences several times, and you're going to let yourself be defeated by a door? _She goaded herself, hoping to fire up her ego enough to find a way out of this. It didn't work. Short of cutting off her own hand, she was staying cuffed to the door. And even if she did have a tool sharp enough to do that, she would never be that desperate.

She sank to her knees and closed her eyes, listening for approaching footsteps to tell her that someone was coming. There was nothing. Well, it had only been a few minutes, and they couldn't all teleport could they? Nope, that was just the bad guys. Great. As if the good guys needed another disadvantage...

* * *

Mulch was sitting in his office, feet up on his desk, attempting to ignore the pixie screaming at him. Doodah was yelling at the top of his tiny lungs, purple in the face. He reminded Mulch of Julius, only shorted and cuter.

"That's the third customer this week you've lost us!" the pixie hollered. Mulch held up a hand to halt the tirade. It had no effect whatsoever; if anything Doodah shouted louder.

"We're losing money here, dwarf, all because you are too D'Arvitted picky about who you will and won't work for!"

Mulch stood at this, feeling his own temper rising.

"I won't work for a goblin, pixie! You know we don't get on!"

That was the understatement of the century. Dwarves and goblins hated each other with a passion. Luckily for the partnership, the developing rant was saved from becoming a full-blown argument by the office phone ringing. Mulch picked it up and spoke into the mouthpiece, voice polite.

"Diggums and Day Investigations, how can I help you?"

He blew a kiss at the fuming pixie. Doodah grabbed the nearest pencil and squeezed it until it snapped. Sometimes, he thought that working with the dwarf was more trouble than it was worth.

"Mulch?" Artemis didn't sound sure. After all, he'd never heard the dwarf sound anything other than sarcastic. Mulch sighed.

"What do you want, Fowl? Can you do nothing without me?"

"Apparently not. Did you ever work at the main dwarf mine before it was closed down?"

Mulch shrugged and sat back in his chair, snagging the last bowl of vole curry before Doodah could make off with it. The pixie made a not-very-pleasant gesture at him and left to vent his anger on some hapless fairies vehicle.

"Sure, why? You need me to dig in and steal something? I don't do that anymore, Arty-boy. I'm strictly legal now."

He eyed the stolen merchandise littering the corners of the room, and the illegal smuggled curry he was eating, and decided not to mention them. Every time he paired up with Artemis and Holly, he got left to do the dirty work. He sniggered at that. _Dirty_ work. Digging. Never mind.

"I need you to tell me where the best place is to keep someone isolated."

Mulch narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you want to know that?"

Artemis didn't answer. Mulch thought about it for a few seconds.

"Put Holly on." The dwarf trusted her more than he trusted Artemis – the boy had a way of getting you to do things you really didn't want to do. Also, he hadn't heard from Holly since before the whole Koboi incident, and he wanted to check that she was ok. He'd never admit it, but at some point he'd emotionally bonded with the elfin Captain, and now considered her a friend. He shuddered. He was legal (mostly), and friends with the local police force. If anyone had told him that a decade ago, he'd have laughed in their face.

Artemis didn't answer for a second, and Mulch leaned forward. He knew the human was there, he could hear him breathing.

"What is it, Fowl?"

"Holly's been kidnapped."

"Again?" Mulch asked incredulously. It was becoming a regular occurrence. Fowl had actually started a trend.

"Yes, again" the teen huffed. "We have to get her back. Now, Mulch, will you tell me where she's likely to be?"

Mulch got up from his chair.

"No, Fowl, I won't. There are dozens of places. It'll be quicker if I go in there myself. I'll meet you at the front entrance to the mine in ten minutes."

He hung up without waiting to hear the boy's response and left the office, slamming the door behind him and locking it. If Doodah had forgotten his key again, then he'd just have to wait outside.

Mulch hummed as he walked. Yet again, he had to ride to the rescue of the Captain. He was like the knight in shining armour rescuing the damsel in distress, except that he had no armour, he wasn't a knight, and Holly was more likely to punch him than kiss him for rescuing her. Not that he wanted her to kiss him – he was strictly an own-species kind of dwarf. Still, it would be nice to get something other than abuse. Maybe a thank you?

It then occurred to him that he'd just volunteered himself for a possibly life-threatening task. He groaned aloud, causing a passing gnome to glance at him concernedly. He was really going to have to work on the whole altruism thing he had going. Next thing you knew, he'd be handing out cookies for the girl guides.

* * *

I'm not sure if I got Mulch right or not. Come to that, I'm not sure if I got any of them right. Let me know what you think. If you think it needs doing, I'll rewrite this. It's just been forever since I was doing this story. Lame excuse, I know, and totally my own fault.  
Skullduck: Too right it's your fault! I've been trying to get her to update for days, but she just sits there and does Maths.  
Me: Hey! I have to do that if I want to pass my A-Levels. To all those confused readers out there, Skullduck is my muse. He's also 98% pure evil, and enjoys tormenting me.  
Skullduck: *waves* Hi.  
Me: For more info on how tortured I am, see my profile.  
Skullduck: And review, or I'll come find you! *glares menacingly*  
Me: I'd do as he says. He's been in a foul mood lately, and I have the beakmarks to prove it.  
Love Liris and Skullduck  
xxx


	11. AN Sorry!

Apologies to everyone who thought there was a new chapter coming out (finally). I've got huge writer's block with this story, and I thought I'd let everyone know why I am taking so bloody long to update.

Ok, here's the deal. I've really gone off this story, and I have about three other projects on the go, so this is unlikely to get updated properly any time soon. I don't think it's fair to either you or the spirit of Colfer's characters to give this anything less than my best effort, and anything I write right now would be half-arsed, at best. So, I'm putting it to a vote. I was going to delete this, rather than leave a half-finished story out here, but I know some people actually like this, so let me know what you want me to do. If anyone else would like to take over and finish it, let me know and I will most likely let you.

Apologies again, but I thought I'd let you know rather than leave you all hanging. Love you all, and thank you for reading this and sticking with it, even after all these months (wow, I really have neglected this).

Liris  
xxx


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